Driver who hit 4 people in front of Aloha High School hit, killed another driver in 2001

A man who drove off the road Friday and hit four people in front of Aloha High School hasn't been able to legally drive in the U.S. since 2001 -- the same year he hit and killed another driver on U.S. 30.

Jeffery Leitz crossed the highway's center line near Clatskanie that April and hit a woman driving the other way, according to an edition of The Chief newspaper in Clatskanie. The woman died of her injuries, the newspaper reported, and court records show Leitz was convicted of criminal negligent homicide.

Leitz, now a 58-year-old Aloha resident, has had his driving privileges medically suspended since June 2001, said Sgt. Bob Ray, a Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesman. He also pleaded not guilty Sept. 1 to felony methamphetamine possession and misdemeanor driving under the influence of intoxicants charges, according to court records.

Jeffery Leitz is pictured in a previous Washington County Jail booking photo.

Each of the four suffered serious injuries that didn't threaten their lives, Ray previously said.

A deputy said Friday that early information indicated an SUV pulling a trailer was headed south on Southwest 185th Avenue when its driver, since identified as Leitz, drifted off the road and onto the sidewalk, hitting the people.

The 2005 GMC Yukon belongs to a woman who lives at the same Aloha address as Leitz, Ray said. Authorities impounded the SUV, he said.

Deputies have forwarded the case to the county district attorney.

Leitz was also convicted in 2004 of criminal driving while suspended, court records show.